SCORED! I'm a lucky bugger ...

[Zebidee]

Took a gamble yesterday and it paid off.

I just picked up a 29" Phillips SCART CRT TV from the pile of untested TVs at the recycling place for $5.  This is a gamble because you can't test it there - so I took it home and tested it.  Didn't look good.  No picture from the TV tuner, sound only.  Couldn't select AV mode manually. 

But when I plugged in my PC using a special VGA-SCART cable (with a 12v AV-mode switching signal to pin 8 ), I got Mame!  In full RGB splendor!    That is, I scored a 29" RGB monitor for $5!!.  I already just happenned to have the remote for this model lying around, so I am doubly lucky.

I was lucky for sure  (or someone up there likes me ), but all this makes me wonder how many perfectly good TVs, or at least good CRT tubes, are being thrown out needlessly.  This could be a good resource for someone with a bit of skill in adding cheap generic monitor chassis.

[danny_galaga]

damn! nice one (",)

[ChadTower]

I poke around our recycling depot the same way... I see what could be good old TVs all the time, stacked 5 deep and 5 high.  I've picked out the occasional TV or monitor but mostly, unless you actually need a CRT and can somehow detect the yoke deflection angle from the outside of the case, it's not a strong gamble.  Not for me, anyway, as I can take them out for free but have to pay 7.50 each to bring them back.

[vidmouse]

Fantastic score Zeb.... the tv was easily the smost expensive
single item that I had to buy (given that I'm using a poor
hand me down PC for now)

Are you going to install it in one of your existing cabs are
build yet another new one around it?  (pictures, pictures...)

[Jeff AMN]

Somebody in my area is even luckier. I missed out, but someone just picked up an Asteroids (PERFECT condition) and a Rastan (perfect as well) together for $300. It was a kick to the nuts to miss that listing.

[knave]

Here's lucky...

Someone in my area picked up a 2 slot Neo Geo with Bust-a-Move and a baseball carts in it for $100. Cab has no picture but still a great deal. I just wish I saw it first...The carts alone are almost worth the $100.

Here's a paste of the CL Listing.

2 PLAYER ARCADE GAME - SOLD - $100

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reply to:
Date: 2007-07-03, 9:58PM PDT


I WON THIS ITEM IN A STORAGE LOCKER AUCTION. IT HAS SOUND, BUT NO PICTURE. THE CABINET IS IN GREAT SHAPE. THERE SEEMS TO BE 2 GAME CARTRIDGES INSIDE THE MACHINE. 1 BASEBALL GAME AND 1 BUBBLE GAME.
$100 B/O

[Zebidee]

Are you going to install it in one of your existing cabs are
build yet another new one around it?  (pictures, pictures...)

I got this 29" TV for a cab, but I don't actually have one that size available!  For me, it is all "grist for the mill", as I'll eventually get around to mounting them in something.  Actually, this is my third 29" RGB CRT now!  Eventually I'll pick up some cabs from somewhere and start a new project.  Those Sega Astro cabs from Japan (or a variant on that) might be a good pick.  Or perhaps make a mega-driving games cab (imagine - 3 29" CRTs at once! OK I'm dreamin', but why not?).

[Zebidee]

(pictures, pictures...)

I still can't find my digital camera!  Probably buried somewhere under the mountains of stuff I am accumulating around here.

Currrently working on three identical cabs, all with 2nd hand Sony 27" professional video monitors in them.  Wired two with JAMMA -> SCART video, so that you can play your own PCBs on them as well!  this is a little trickier, ut works really well.  One of the cabinets is going to be a driving cabinet - I have a 270 degree driving control panel to suit already.

Just worked out a really good yet simple way to boost the oomph of my 3" 15w Harman Kardon speakers.  I just have to replicate that for all three cabs.  What I did was to put a 5" resonance box behind the 3" speakers.  Made the "resonance boxes" out of two old microwave food bowls (Lean Cuisine brand), some old screws and neoprene washers and a few bits of gaffer tape!  They were perfect!  Now the speakers sound much "louder" and the sound "richer", more like good quality 5" speakers.  But this needs a photo to complete the story ...

Wanna find my camera!  i have too many interesting projects on at the moment.

[vidmouse]

Or perhaps make a mega-driving games cab (imagine - 3 29" CRTs at once! OK I'm dreamin', but why not?).

When you said you had three 29"s this was the first thing
I thought of.  Also good for mech-stompin', flight-sim,
FPS games too... man, I'd have a lot of fun with that if
you can pull it off.

I can't imagine having that much space for that many
cabs and projects -- you ARE one lucky bugger. 

works really well.  One of the cabinets is going to be a driving cabinet - I have a 270 degree driving control panel to suit already.

Is this a sit-down or standup?  I was thinking of that with mine, eventually I'll want to get some kind of wheel to use w/ driving games, but I was going to be "satisfied" with a USB connect wheel and pedals that I could attach to the front of my CP box and take off as needed.

Just worked out a really good yet simple way to boost the oomph of my 3" 15w Harman Kardon speakers.  I just have to replicate that for all three cabs.  What I did was to put a 5" resonance box behind the 3" speakers.  Made the "resonance boxes" out of two old microwave food bowls (Lean Cuisine brand), some old screws and neoprene washers and a few bits of gaffer tape!  They were perfect!  Now the speakers sound much "louder" and the sound "richer", more like good quality 5" speakers.  But this needs a photo to complete the story ...

Harmon Kardons are niiice ... I have a Toshiba laptop w/ them in it and it sounds fantastic -- esp w/ the builtin subwoofer.

[Zebidee]

... man, I'd have a lot of fun with that if
you can pull it off.

Heh, I like the way you say that .....    at least it's honest!

---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- yeah, I'm lucky all right.  But I have to move all my stuff to Thailand soon to be with my arcade habit-supportive partner .... and I can see that everyone will start bleeding from the heart for me now after I said that (NOT!).

Is this a sit-down or standup?

It's an upright, by circumstance rather than design.

By another lucky break, I just happenned across a matching (for my cab) control panel w/ 270 wheel & high-low gear shifter when I was picking up something else.  the CP was just sitting out in front of his garage with some lesser arcade ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.  I asked him about it and he said I could have it for free, he was waiting for a scrap merchant to pick it up and take it away.  He said it was "too much hassle" to fit this kind of CP to a mame cab, and said to use a USB PC wheel instead.  But I disagree.

Anyway, I have it now.  I've tested it and the only thing wrong is that the potentiometer is stuffed.  Probably why it was pulled off in the first place.  So I bought a better one for about $2.  Just going to order an A-PAC from Andy and get going.

For pedals I will use a set of old PC ones I picked up from the recycling place - they also have pots in them, so I can simply connect them to the APAC too (it will take up to 4 pots).  When not in use they can be stashed out of the way.   I'll also be able to easily pull the CP with wheel off and replace it with a conventional CP with joystick & buttons (which I already have at hand, of course!).

Still, starting to think about that idea of a 3 * 29" CRT driving setup - it wouldn't need to be a cab, just a driving seat and pop the monitors onto table-tops ...... you wouldn't make a cab, you'd make a small room ....

[vidmouse]

Currrently working on three identical cabs, all with 2nd hand Sony 27" professional video monitors in them.  Wired two with JAMMA -> SCART video, so that you can play your own PCBs on them as well!  this is a little trickier, ut works really well.  One of the cabinets is going to be a driving cabinet - I have a 270 degree driving control panel to suit already.

Had another thought on this one as well, since we're talking about multiple
screens and driving cabs...  when I reread this it made me think how cool
it would be to hook these up for head-to-head racing (or dogfighting, or...)
like some Daytona USA machines I've seen.

Not exactly sure how to do this... I would think you'd have to have something
like Need for Speed running on each, and workup some kind
of LAN play...

Yeah, I'D have so much fun with that   

[lettuce]

But when I plugged in my PC using a special VGA-SCART cable (with a 12v AV-mode switching signal to pin 8 ), I got Mame!  In full RGB splendor!

Where did you get your hand on a VGA-SCART cable??

[Zebidee]

Where did you get your hand on a VGA-SCART cable??

From me!  I can make one for you for $60 (Aus) + postage.  Lovingly hand made to order ....     Almost any SCART TV will work with this cable.

This VGA-SCART cable would include a 12v  switching signal input to SCART pin 8 (so you'll also plug it into a standard PC internal molex power supply cable).  This is designed as an "option" so you can un-plug it, as some TVs don't need the 12v. 

I would build the cable and fully test it before sending it to you.  However, if it doesn't work for your particular TV, you can send it back to me (your expense) and I'll refund your $$.